Latest news with #CambriaCountyConservationandRecreationAuthority
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
CamTran, recreation authority promote bike program on World Bicycle Day
NANTY GLO, Pa. (WTAJ) — Members of the Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority and CamTran promoted the service's bike program on World Bicycle Day. Cambria County Commissioner Tom Chernisky rode a bus to the stop next to the Nanty Glo Fire Hall, where he dismounted to ride his bike down the Ghost Town Trail eastbound toward Ebensburg. All CamTran bike racks on rural and urban routes are free to use. 'If you don't have a vehicle and you bike to different areas, or you do have a vehicle but you don't have a hitch on the back of it, this is the perfect way to put your bike on a CamTran bus and go to some of the award-winning trails we have in Cambria County,' Chernisky said. The Rack and Ride program can take bikes to the Ghost Town Trail and Ghost Town Trail C and I Extension. To look at bus fares, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority talks test site for washout prevention
EBENSBURG, Pa. – A section of hillside neighboring the Path of the Flood Trail may soon become a test site for a new bonding agent to avoid washouts, Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority Executive Director Cliff Kitner told the board Friday. The authority had been approached by Greg Turjan, of OFB USA, regarding a binding agent the group is working on. Turjan declined to comment Monday, citing ongoing development of the product. Kitner was excited by the prospects of the binding agent and said the test site may be the Stineman section of the Path of the Flood Trail in the South Fork area. 'We all know we get washouts on that hill all the time,' he said. Kitner added most rail-trails are built parallel to streams, which is why the CCCRA paths were attractive to Turjan. The CCCRA-maintained trails have historically dealt with issues of washouts and costly repairs. The authority is still working through the building phase of a Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency project to fix damage from Hurricane Debby during summer 2024. Board member Steve Gironda raised concerns about the water diverted by the product having to go somewhere and potentially causing more issues. Kitner said that as long as the water will stay off the trails and go into the drainage ditches, it can be managed. Although details about Turjan's products were few, the group did state the agent is claimed to be environmentally friendly and would be tested in July or August on a roughly 100-foot section of the hill. Throughout the meeting, Kitner also provided several updates about regional projects, such as the work to repair sections of the Ghost Town Trail. He told the board that the authority had completed its requirements and now it's up to the federal officials to rubber-stamp the work. At this time, the repair plans are still considered to be in development. As for the final section of the pending Ghost Town Trail loop, which will be the only rail trail loop on the East Coast when finished, Kitner said contractors plan to start that project this week with a deadline of Nov. 30. The board awarded that work to Kukurin Contracting Inc. in April at a cost of nearly $3 million. That includes almost a mile of trail and construction of two pedestrian bridges over roadways. Other discussion during the meeting included the use of Cambria County Prison inmate work crews. Kurt Wolford, prison warden, and Assistant Deputy Warden of Finance and Facility Services Megan Bursky attended the gathering to offer the assistance of those at the jail for maintenance and other work on the trails. Thomas Kakabar, CCCRA board chairman, asked if the groups were geared more toward manual labor or skilled trades. Wolford said more manual labor at this time, but his goal with the program is to teach inmates a skill that can help them succeed once they are back in society. Typically, trades trainings take place at the state and federal corrections levels, and Wolford said he aims to mirror those offerings to help prisoners rehabilitate and become productive members of society. The board members were in favor of working with the prison in the future.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CCCRA awards contract for final piece of Ghost Town Trail loop
EBENSBURG, Pa. – The Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority awarded a more than $2 million contract Friday for the final section of the Ghost Town Trail C&I Extension loop. Kukurin Contracting Inc., of Export, had the low bid, pending review by necessary parties. The work will consist of building two bridges over roadways and construction of less than a mile of trail for a total of $2,732,732. 'We're at the point I can see the finish line,' CCCRA Executive Director Cliff Kitner said. 'I'm excited to finally get there.' Once it is complete later this year, the connecting piece will finish the only rail-trail loop on the East Coast and just the second in the country. 'It is the linchpin to completing the Ghost Town Trail loop,' CCCRA Board President Thomas Kakabar said of this trail section. In December, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the Ghost Town Trail's North Street trailhead in Blacklick Township for completion of the first section of the final piece of the loop, which included trail-building and construction of a box culvert that the trail now runs through. Kitner said work for the last portion had six bidders and the amount came in slightly higher than expected. Despite that, the work will move forward and be paid for through grants the authority has received from the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization program and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. In other business, the group discussed future installation of the Joseph Dushaw Rest Area in Ebensburg along the Ghost Town Trail. They approved a quote from Milkie's Lawn & Landscape not to exceed $2,034 for gravel and stone to help develop the site. Kitner said in discussing the project with Milkie's, there may be some changes to the final design, but the work is coming along. Alex Cruley, maintenance specialist, said he and fellow maintenance specialist Vincent Heiss will install benches in that area in the coming weeks.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Yahoo
Ghost Town Trail announces trail challenge, continuous loop construction to begin
EBENSBURG, Pa. (WTAJ) — The Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority announced two updates for the Ghost Town Trail this year. Friday saw a small crowd gather around the trailhead to hear from Cambria County Commissioner and conservation and recreation board member Tom Chernisky, who made the announcements. The first announcement regarded the Cambria County Trailhead Challenge, where the county wants residents to visit all 23 tracks in the area. Contestants must send photos of themselves at the trailhead or on the trail to the conservation board's Facebook Messenger, along with name, address, email and phone number to participate. The contest runs from May 1 to Nov. 2 at midnight, with the winner being decided in the middle of November. They will receive $500 worth of certificates, both evenly split to $250 each, to Vale Wood Farms and Up-N-Running. 'When you're done hiking, biking or walking, locals and out-of-towners have to go to the bathroom. They go to the bathroom. They use the restaurant. They buy something. It's good stuff for a local region,' Chernisky said. The second announcement was that they awarded a contract to create a loop toward the section of the trail between Nanty Glo and Vintondale. The trail will go around the village of Revloc, past Nanty Glo Park and Pool, before converging back toward the trail. 'We have 200,000 visitors a year just on the Ghost Town trail,' Chernisky added. 'I can see more people coming just to visit. I was here this past Sunday, I saw five people I talked to from Delaware. Four police officers were biking the Ghost Town Trail this past Sunday. There are bikers going to Indiana, and there are bikers coming back. Where did they stay? They stayed in an Airbnb in Hastings.' Once completed, the Ghost Town Trail will be the first single network trail on the east coast to have a continuous loop and second in the country to create that loop. Only the Blue Mountains Trail in Oregon uses a single network of trails to create a continuous loop. Chernisky noted that the project is expected to be done by this year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cambria recreation authority hires maintenance specialist, transfers city lots to JRA
EBENSBURG, Pa. – Maintenance motions topped the agenda at Friday's meeting of the Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority. The group approved the hire of a new maintenance specialist, Vincent Heiss, and transferred five properties along Somerset Street in Johnstown's Kernville section to the Johnstown Redevelopment Authority. CCCRA Executive Director Cliff Kitner said the actions will be a benefit to the organization, both in helping with workload and in alleviating property care stress. 'Obviously, with all the trail we're building, I want to eliminate some of our maintenance,' Kitner said. The five Kernville properties were donated to the authority years ago as part of the Urban Connectivity project that aims to connect pathways through the city. Kitner said there are some structures on the lots that still need to be removed, but it's unclear if that might happen. When Vision Together 2025 approached the authority about acquiring a lot to build a home there, it made sense to offer all five to the JRA so the properties could be put to use, Kitner said. He added that hauling the authority's equipment to work in that area can be difficult, as well. Board member Brad Clemenson suggested a right-of-way be recorded on the deeds during the transfers to allow for the potential development of a trail in the future. It has been proposed, as part of the connectivity project, that a trail follow Somerset Street along the river. 'Something to talk about,' Clemenson said. 'I don't think we have to resolve it right now.' Kitner told him that's a discussion that can be had with the parties involved. As for Heiss, Kitner said he'll be a 'tremendous asset' to the organization. Following the retirement of longtime maintenance specialist Bruce Eash in January, the authority was left solely with specialist Alex Cruley. Kitner said it made sense to have two specialists to help take care of the trails, due to the amount of county-owned and maintained trails doubling since Kitner's start more than 10 years ago. In other business, the board was updated on the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization grant project for the Ghost Town Trail extension. Next week, bids will be put out for two bridges between the North Street trailhead in Blacklick Township and Nanty Glo, where the path will meet the Ghost Town Trail C&I Extension and complete the largest rail-trail loop on the East Coast once finished. Kitner said all the permits are in place and that loop will be completed this year, which is a relief. He compared the feeling to nearing the end of a marathon and getting a burst of energy out of excitement to finish. 'When you start something and you think it's going to be forever, but now you see the light at the end of the tunnel, it's like, 'Wow, we're going to cross that finish line,' ' he said.
